Why You Shouldn't Go To College

The running joke throughout my high school career was that every single one of my peers and I wanted to drop out of school and become a stripper. Becoming a stripper would mean the only thing that would be just as terrible as high school would be the work ethic. No judgement from other students, no grades to be kept up, no worries for whether you'll make enough money or not. But as hard as high school was, none of us followed through in the hopes that our college years would be the highlight of our lives that pushed us into our future.

Although some of my former peers are now thriving in their college environments, most of us are not. Any college student knows how stressful the work can be, and especially now that sports are gone and most classes are online, it's more lonely and depressing than ever. Of course, there is the argument that many find their true selves when they are alone, but it's still hard for anyone to be in school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From my personal experience, college is only hard because it gives the student an immense amount of freedom. No one tells you not to sleep in class. No one reminds you to study for your tests. No one cares if your homework isn't completed in a timely and thorough fashion. College gives you the freedom to fail or succeed based on how you spend your time, and up until our high school graduations, other people decided how we spent it.

College is a tool. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers all need to go to college because it is necessary in order to find a career in those areas. If you want to be any of those things, go to college! In fact, stop reading right now, send this to someone who doesn't know what they want to do with their life, and go study for your next test. We need all of those people!

The contrary begs the question, what if you don't want to be any of those things? What then? While you decide exactly what you'd like to do with the rest of your life, I have a couple answers for the next few years.

It depends.

If you feel that your high school did not educate you enough in the areas of English, mathematics, science, or basic arts, then go enroll yourself in the nearest community college and get your Associate's Degree in Psychology. The psychology part won't get you much farther than analyzing everyone's behavior and self-awareness, but you'll get a review of the basics. But if you're like me, and you don't want or need to do any of the above, don't go to college.

My first semester was a scary experience. I went to a college preparatory high school, and I already knew most of the things that were being taught in class. I wasn't excellent at any sports, nor did I care to try out for any new ones. The few classes that I actually learned something from were the elective classes that I took just to get some extra credits. Intro to Psych. Public Speaking. Classes of that sort.

But what I learned in those classes was also that college is a scam. The first two years are basically high school review and things that you could have learned from watching a YouTube tutorial. The rest is meant for those who decide they want to specialize in something. You have to be a full time student to qualify for any sort of scholarship, which means taking at least 12 credits, but only 6 of those credits actually apply to your degree because they are all prerequisites to what you have to take the next semester. I apologize, but the only thing you're doing is paying to fill out your resume so you can give it to someone who wants to severely underpay a person with a degree.

Well, you need money from somewhere. So, how do you get a high paying job without college?

Work experience can be just as good as education, and sometimes better. I've been working since I was 16, and that gets me a lot farther than someone in college who hasn't worked at all. Here are some suggestions if you don't know where to begin:

Start out small. Restaurant work is no joke, but being a server can get you started in the right direction.

Get a clerical position at an office. Every office needs either a secretary or an assistant. From there, you will have the ability and experience to either move up in the company, or get another job with bigger opportunities. This also gives you time to figure out what direction you'd like to go in with your career.

Find how you are going to spend your free time. If you don't go to college, your free time is what can potentially turn into your full time job. Do something you enjoy, because you're going to have to work hard, and it is a lot easier to work hard when you show up smiling instead of dreading the day.

Learn important business skills like presenting in public, networking, sales, investment skills, or even how to make something. These days, everything you need to know about starting a business(basically how to sell things or services legally) is online. Any of these can be useful towards specific jobs.

Online jobs such as affiliate marketing, virtual assisting, blogging, influencing, and becoming a product distributor are all valid ways of making money. An office is to a secretary as a remote business is to a virtual assistant.

There are a lot of things that you can do to make money, but it’s always important to know how to deal with your finances in a smart way. Remember that when you retire, you’re still going to need money, and you are responsible for making it.

The bottom line is that you don’t have to go to college to make money and be successful. Take a deep breath. College is perfect for some, but not for everyone. If you are in college(good luck!), the same applies to you. Stop stressing about your future. You work better when you are relaxed, anyway. If all else fails, you can always become a stripper.